In Micronesia, 33-year old Andrea Colson is quickly becoming known as the real life Rapunzel. That is because she has been growing her hair long for her entire life. Colson has her strawberry blonde hair measured at 64 inches long, and her locks, when fully unfurled, can be seen almost touching her feet. She says the secret to keeping her hair strong, even after a lifetime of growing it, is a spoonful of peanut butter every day.
Colson spends most of her days with the children she works with as a teacher. She says that her children often compare her to a more modern version of Rapunzel, the animated film Tangled. But there are still people that compare her to the older version fairy tale princess and her long hair. Colson says she doesn’t mind the attention, and most of the time, it makes her day. It is no accident that she has been able to keep her hair after such a long time. Her daily hair care routine involves washing it with cold water, applying coconut oil two times a week, and getting a little trim every few months. She also has her locks straightened, but only once or twice a year.
“The most I’ve ever had taken off is a few inches,” Colson said in an interview, “It would be like cutting off a body part. My hair is what makes me unique. I think the peanut butter has definitely helped. I notice my hair becoming dry and brittle if I haven’t eaten any.” Colson prefers to wear her hair up, which can only be done with special ties that can keep all that hair in check.
“If I’m braiding it and can’t reach the bottom, I’ll just wrap it around my neck,” she explained. “It’s hard to keep it up in just one clip of bobby pins, so I have to use a variation of different things to keep it all in place.”